‘Our weekends now are like we’re on a cruise ship’

COCKTAIL HOUR, WRITING AND LOTS OF BAKING MEAN THE COMEDIAN IS KEEPING SUPER-BUSY

COMEDIAN Holly Walsh, 39, wrote BBC parenting comedy Motherland and is working on a new series. She’s also written a new sitcom, The Other One, about what happens when you discover your dead dad has a secret family.

What’s your daily routine?

I get up at 7am, make breakfast for my two children, aged two and four, and have an argument about listening to CBeebies Radio. The argument is if we should listen or have a bit of silence. I do some exercise, then I sit down and write until the late afternoon. Our weekends have become like we’re on a cruise ship. My husband, Jon, and I have cocktail hour at 6pm on Saturday and cinema club on Sunday. We try not to drink in the week.

What are you watching to cheer yourself up?

I love Gogglebox. I’ve been struggling to watch longer format things, like films. I’m finding it hard to concentrate during lockdown as there’s so much information coming at you from computers and TV screens.

How has your working week changed?

I was filming and editing in Manchester for the past few months so it’s been lovely to be back at home with the kids and my husband. The slowed down pace of life has been an unexpected pleasure. I’m currently writing the next series of Motherland. I’m not sure if I’ll include any references to lockdown. It’s too early to tell. I’m writing every day.

What have you been doing to stay in shape?

I do a nine-mile run at the weekend. I love The Adam Buxton Podcast so I listen to that on my run. I’ve also been playing darts. I’m terrible at it but I love it. I love going to see the darts at Christmas at Alexandra Palace. It’s better than pantomime.

Did you panic-buy anything?

I panic-bought a breadmaker on Gumtree just before lockdown. I’ve been baking every day. My friend has just had a delivery of a huge sack of flour. She’s become like the local drug dealer. She drops it off to her friends’ houses. I was a bit of a baker before but now I’ve gone up a level. I did naan bread the other day and I’m a dab hand at pizza dough.

Has lockdown given you any personality insights?

I miss my family, but we’re strangely closer because of it, as I call my parents on Zoom. It’s made me realise how not bothered I am about going out. We’re so lucky we have a garden. I argue the same amount with the kids, but I’ve become more patient. We’ve been gardening with them. It’s nice to have a project together.

Which non-essential activity do you miss the most?

Taking the kids swimming. Going to the pub. Football. I’m a Crystal Palace season ticket holder. I really got into fantasy football this year and I’m annoyed that’s over because I was doing quite well. I’m from Guildford originally and became a Crystal Palace fan when I moved to south London 12 years ago.

Will the crisis change us?

I think it will but I’m not sure how. There’s a WhatsApp group for our road, which we didn’t have before. Small things like that make a big difference and I hope we’ll keep going with them once we can all go out. I hope we’ve all made friends, but you never know. It’s like dating. It’s fine online, but it might change when you meet fact to face.